Doorlatch



y 1935 R. s. MUCK ET AL DOORLATCH Filed March 15, 1955 6 E z. B a E E m 1 1 D: i a a Z J "WM 55:! 1 I? 2 N W r 1 ATTOR Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES DOORLATCH Russell S. Muck and Howard C. Muck, Highland Park, Mich.

Application March 13, 1935, Serial No. 10,774

2 Claims.

' killed or injured due to their unlatching a motor vehicle door and falling out through the doorway. Also, unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle of the closed body type is frequently had by inserting a rod or wire through any available opening in the body and manipulating the latch handle at the inside of oneof the doors.

An object of the invention is to mount in the interior handle of a door latch a manually operable detent serving to normally maintain a driving engagement of the handle and latch stem, and adapted, when desired, to break such engagement and to adapt the handle for free rotation on the stem.

Another object is to so mount such detent in the handle that it will be readily operable by an adult, but will not be readily perceived or operated by a child.

A further object is to adapt the handle of a door latch for a limited sliding travel on its stem, and to adapt the handle at one limit-of such travel for free rotation on the stem, and to establish a normal drive from the handle to the stem at the other limit of such travel.

These and various other objects the invention attains by the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in .the accompanying 7 drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal vertical section of a closed body vehicle showing a door thereof equipped with a latch in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the door, showing the latch face plate and sectionally showing. the latch handle interior to the door.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the handle shifted on its stem to a position in which the handle may freely rotate on the stem.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the handle and stem, taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is another vertical cross section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

In these views, the reference character I designates a motor vehicle door equipped with a latch generally designated at 2. The bolt 3 of said latch is actuable through any ordinary mechanism (not shown) by a rotatable stem 4 equipped with handles 5 and 6 respectively at the interior and exterior side of the door.

The handle 5 lies normally against or closely adjacent to the door I, and in such position a polygonal opening 'I of the handle receives a correspondingly shaped portion of the stem, whereby the handle is adapted to rotate the stem.

By sliding the handle on the stem a short distance away from the door, the polygonal opening of the handle is registered with a cylindrical end portion 8 of the stem, whereby the handle may rotate freely upon the stem. Sliding of the handle away from the door is limited by the head of a screw 9 tapped into the cylindrical end of the stem, the handle being formed with a counter sink l0 sufliciently deep to accommodate the screw head in all positions of the handle.

Mounted in the handle and slidable transversely to the stem is a sheet metal detent II, which is formed with an opening I2 of approximate key-hole shape to accommodate the stem. A boss l3 exteriorly formed upon the handle has a cylindrical socket l4 opening therein toward the stem, and a shank portion l5 of the detent of considerably reduced width projects centrally into said socket, and is embraced by a coiled spring l6 compressed between the socket bottom and a head "rigidly carried by the outer end of said shank. The stem is formed with two annular grooves l8 and 18a spaced axially of the stem and so located as to register with the detent l l respectively in the driving and non-driving positions of the handle. Thus, in either of said positions, the spring It acts to enter in one of said grooves that portion of the detent marginal to the restricted end of the opening I2, so as to restrain the handle from axial sliding. By depressing the head I! into the handle on the stem. A spring l9 coiled bei tween the door and handle is compressed within an annular groove 20 in the handle when the latter is in driving position, andserves to urge the handle to non-driving position.

Preferably, the portion 2| between the detent II and the door is formed separately from the main body of the handle and is secured to said body by screws 22 or the like. This facilitates machining of the slot 23 of the handle in which the detent slides, and mounting of the detent in such slot. The polygonal opening 1 is formed in the portion 2| of the handle, the remaining portion of the stem-receiving opening being cylindrical and substantially coni'orming in diameter to the cylindrical portion of the stem.

In use of the described latch, when it is desired to prevent a door being opened by children or to prevent any unauthorized opening of the door by manipulation 01 its interior handle, the latter is shifted to the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the handle is nonefiective to operate the latch. By locating the actuating head I! of the detent ll within the socket ll of the handle, said detent is largely concealed, so as to render unlikely its attempted manipulation by children. Furthermore, the spring l6 may be made sufliciently strong as to resist any attempt at release of the detent by a small child.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a door latch, a rotatable stem, a handle having a limited sliding travel on the stem, the handle and stem having portions interfitting in one limiting position 01' the handle to establish a drive from the handle to the stem and the handle being freely rotative on the stem in its other limiting position, one a detent slldable in the handle and engageable with the stem to retain the handle in either of said limiting positions, the handle having a face grooved 'toaccommodate the detent and guide the detent in a straight line travel, and a member terminally carried by the stem forming a stop for sliding of, the handle, the handle being recessed to accommodatesuch stop member.

2. In a door latch, a rotatable stem having a free end, a handle having a limiting sliding travel on the stem, the handle andv stem having portions interiitting in one limiting position of the handle to establish a drive from the handle to the stem, and the handle being freely rotatable on the stem in its other limiting position, a detent slidable in the handle and engageable with the stem to retain the handle in either of said limiting positions, the handle having a face grooved to accommodate the detent and guide 20 the detent in a straight line of travel, and means carried by the stem restraining the handle from withdrawal from the stem.

RUSSELL S. MUCK.

HOWARD C. MUCK. 25 

